How many of you fuss with crimped primer brass?

Most all zombie thread revivals are by new members. I finally, after a number of communications with folks finding their way around the board, realized that many don't spot the button in the upper left for starting a new thread or realize you have to enter the apropos forum to see it.

A new thread is always better than an old one because many of the original contributors are gone or have lost interest in the subject. You generally get more responses with a new thread.
 
Joe-ker asked:
How many of you fuss with crimped primer brass?
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With some exceptions, I prefer crimped primer brass. If the primer is crimped, I can be reasonably sure the brass is actually "once-fired". Removing the crimp is an additional step in the reloading process; but not an onerous one.
 
I hate the crimped stuff.

While I am guilty about not reading Forster admonition (and likely would have ignored it) I had a couple of crimped 06 military rounds mixed in with my regular that I had ground the crimp out (or so I thought)

Broke the entire spindle/insert decaping Assembly and had to buy a new one (last of 3 HXP)

Unlike RCBS Forster just referred me to the not crimp pockets (these did accept primers fine with a hand primer).

When I can get range pick up once fired RP or order it at a good price? Nah. Not worth futzing with and I sure don't want to buy another spindle for the Forster.

So I won't touch them, I hate crimped primers and no reason to use them

You can pick up 223 brass at the range all day long and military brass is intended for once fire use, I don't think its anything special and maybe a bit harder than most and harder to size.

Not that I feel strongly about this mind you.
 
I have a second hand RCBS swage combo die. It works, but is a HUGE PITA...I am probably doing it wrong. The center pin is flat and off center slightly, so I have to hand work it on to the pin, then raise the ram to the pocket, THEN complete the stroke. If the primer pocket doesn't "catch" on the reamer, the brass hangs up halfway out and I have to work it off the mandrel by hand. Is pain. I sent a note to RCBS on social media about it, no word back yet.
 
goes into my pile to make swaged hollowpoint rounds out of - i.e. any "whole" brass in 9mm and .40 that I don't like, be it a brass I don't like or mil brass with crimped primer pockets - I turn into the jacket of a swaged hollow point round - I've posted pics in the past if you care to look at the work. Frankenmauser does as well.
 
My neighbor buys military ammo with crimped primer pockets and say's it's a cheap way to get brass. I finally told him to go buy good brass, fire form it to the gun and then use it for that gun only. I said to him "You've invested a lot of money in your reloading equipment and now you're being cheap about brass. Where's the logic in that. You can't reload that cheap stuff for less then you can buy it".

His rebuttal was that he looses a lot of brass at the range so when he reloads the cheap stuff and can't find it at the range it doesn't cost as much as loosing quality brass. That was a point I hadn't considered and it does have it's merits.
 
Cheap stuff? I purchased 1,400 fired military cases for $14.00, I purchased another 800 30/06 cases strung up in belts. And I stopped by Pat's Reloading in Ohio and purchased another 3,000 new pulled down/never fired cases and called friends to ask if they were interested and the answers were no, no and no.

When I got home one of the 'near-by' reloaders changed his mind. I kept the 3000 I purchased from Pat's and called Pat to see if he had any deals I was not aware of, he made us a better deal, He charged us the same price of another 3000 cases and then charged us $10.00 shipping.

There is nothing about reloading that drive me into mortal combat with case prep. I have the RCBS case prep center with all of the attac-h-ments. I paid for it by the time I finished 200 cases. By the time I formed 100 8mm57 cases from 30/06 cases I paid for the forming die.

New unfired 30/06 cases cost $44.00 a hundred, I had rather form 100 cases with my forming die. After I finish I still have cases to form and the die is paid for.

F. Guffey
 
I sent a note to RCBS on social media about it, no word back yet.
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If you want to get results, and email with a subject line or a call.

Social Media is for social, not tech.
 
You guy's are hard core , I bump them . Why did you have to post that picture , my eyes are bad enough . Will move to another post .
 
With some exceptions, I prefer crimped primer brass. If the primer is crimped, I can be reasonably sure the brass is actually "once-fired". Removing the crimp is an additional step in the reloading process; but not an onerous one.
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And then there was Hatcher; he wrote removing the crimp was a matter of using his pocket knife. I understand that was then and this is now; I do not know how many cases Hatcher required on a daily, weakly and of monthly bases.

And then there is me. Rather than spend more time talking about 'it' than doing it and I do not have separation anxiety when being away from the key board there is no shortage of cases around here.

hdwit, I agree, if I had any plans of purchasing for resale I would leave the crimp in the case. I purchased 30/06 military once fired cases in buckets at a flea market in North Carolina. They were cheap because most of the reloaders that had the opportunity to purchase them refused because of the time required to clean them. I paid 1 cent each for them; that was 100 cases for one dollar, again, the cases filled buckets.

The cases were clean enough to fire in less than 3 hours because I used 5% vinegar for 15 minutes and then tumbled for an hour.

And then there were the dirty ones, each case had a dirt dauber planted in it. I took them home and placed them in the garage wondering it the cases were worth the effort.

It became one of those 'and then' moments; the wife opened the garage door and a black cloud appeared to drift out like I was making a horror movie. The wife was not happy; the up side? Each dirt dobber captures a black widow spiders and places it in a 30 cal. hole to feed the next generation.

I was told by a Japanese gunsmith in Hawaii there was only one thing that is worst than a 30 Cal. dirt dobber; he said the Hawaiian 20 cal. dirt dobber was the worst. He said if you choose not to clean all the holes in everything you have to plug then. He said it was not a part time job, it was a full time job.

F. Guffey
 
I use a VLD chamfer tool, it self centers in the pocket and bottoms out removing the crimp perfectly
 
Does .223 need crimp removed?

I know the 5.56 NATO military brass needs to have the crimp removed, but is there a crimp in .223 brass? If so, I guess it needs to be removed also. I have hundreds of rounds each and l don't want to waste time on .223 if not needed.

Great forum BTW.
 
Some 223 brass is crimped, it's usually overruns from a military contract. All crimps need to be dealt with in some form or fashion if you plan to reload it.
 
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